TL;DR: Got laid off from a FAANG company in the UK with a visa deadline to find a job before June. Applied to ~140 roles, went through ~50 interview processes. It was tough and isolating, but I ended up with multiple offers. Sharing this in case it helps someone going through the same
Hey folks, I wanted to share a bit of my journey over the past couple of months.
For context, I’m a software engineer with around 14 years of experience, including the last 4.5 years at a FAANG company in the UK. Earlier this year, my job was made redundant. I had a hard deadline, I needed to find a new job before the end of June due to visa constraints, or I’d have to move back to my home country with my family.
I did try exploring internal roles first, but it quickly became a dog-eat-dog situation. So I decided to focus all my energy on the external job market.
I won’t sugarcoat it, the last two and a half months were really tough. I didn’t tell most of my friends what was going on. My wife and I mostly stayed in, and my weekends were spent applying and preparing. I applied to around 150 roles and was in ~50 interview processes at different stages. It felt like a constant race against time. Thankfully, things worked out in the end. I managed to convert a few offers and have now accepted a role that I’m genuinely excited about.
If you’re going through something similar right now, just know that you’re not alone. It can feel exhausting and uncertain, but things do turn around. And if you’re in a good phase right now, don’t take it for granted, things can change quickly.
One thing this experience reinforced for me: if you want something you don’t have, you’ll likely have to do things you haven’t done before. Just keep showing up and putting in the effort. It does pay off.
